Fairfield water main springs leak Wednesday

By DIANE VANCE | Sep 12, 2013

Photo by: DIANE VANCECity crews from Fairfield Water Department, including from left, water superintendent Carl Chandler, Wes Davis, Richard Taylor and Mike Keller, worked today to restore water along Kirkwood Avenue between North Third Street and Court Street. A water main break at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday left a few blocks along Kirkwood Avenue without water. Chandler said at 11 a.m. today the crew had dug up pavement and concrete and would work until the repair is made. Gerard Goodrich was operating the backhoe.

Fairfield’s Water Department was working at the northwest corner of Second Street and Kirkwood Avenue today, fixing a water main that broke late Wednesday night.

A report was called into 911 dispatch at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday about a water leak.

“We’re working on it this morning, trying to stay out of the highway,” said Carl Chandler, water superintendent.

Iowa Department of Transportation has jurisdiction over Highway 1, which runs through Fairfield on North Second Street between Burlington Avenue and Merrill Avenue.

“D.O.T. is responsible for safety signage and we needed to contact DOT before beginning work for the safety of city workers and the safety of traffic,” said Chandler.

Keeping the highway open for traffic was another important consideration, he said.

The Fairfield Police Department daily log said water was off from North Third Street to North Court Street on Kirkwood Avenue.

“We are hoping to have water restored to customers soon,” said Chandler. “We’ll flush the mains after it’s fixed.”

Flushing should avoid the need to boil water, he said.

Chandler said water main breaks happen and a reason isn’t always known.

“Last summer was very dry, this spring was very wet, and now we’re back to very dry and the earth shifts,” he said. “These are old cast iron pipes and they do break with shifting dirt.”

Fairfield had a water main break earlier this month near Forest Drive and Broadway Avenue and in other areas south of Burlington Avenue.

“We’ve had 40 leaks this summer,” said Chandler.

Contractors also are working on planned replacements of water mains at Seventh Street and Jefferson Avenue and along Hempstead Avenue between B Street and D Street.